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Whatcom County sees record COVID cases and hospitalizations

Whatcom County sees record COVID cases and hospitalizations

Photo: KGMI/Dave Walker


BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Whatcom County rang in the the new year with a new record for COVID cases.

According to data from the Washington State Department of Health, from December 27th to January 2nd there was a total of nearly 1300 confirmed cases in the county.

PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center says they are currently caring for 45 COVID patients, the most at any time during the pandemic.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sudhakar Karlapudi is urging everyone to take precautions.

“At his point, I would say anyone listening to this who’s gotten their two shots should strongly consider getting their third shot with an MRNA booster,” said Karlapudi.

As the county transitioned into the new year, Whatcom county hit another grim milestone with 201 total deaths due to COVID.

Hospitals and health officials are echoing Dr. Karlapudi in urging people to get their boosters as the latest surge continues.

The latest detailed report on cases from the Whatcom County Health Department shows that 17 COVID patients were hospitalized between December 19 and the 24th and they were all unvaccinated.

There were also eight deaths reported from COVID that week, including two males age 40 to 49.

For more information about COVID cases in Whatcom County and statewide, visit the Washington State Department 0f Health’s COVID dashboard. 

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